She's a Bad Motorcycle: Writers on Riding

Book Overview

Why do people ride motorcycles? Thomas Krens, curator of The Art of the Motorcycle, the most popular exhibition ever mounted at the Guggenheim Museum, writes: "For much of society, the motorcycle remains a forbidden indulgence, an object of fantasy, and danger." And of envy. No other machine is thought of as the vehicle -- "the perfect vehicle" Melissa Holbrook Pierson calls it "of rebellion, lawlessness, and freedom."

She's A Bad Motorcycle collects the writings of those who have sought that freedom. From the genre-defining -- and exploding -- Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance to Chasing Che the motorcycle has inspired a startlingly rich, unabashedly romantic body of writing that celebrates the risks and exhilaration of the journey to self-discovery. The book includes selections from Eric Burdon, Harry Crews, Harlan Ellison, Robert E. Fulton, Jr., Che Guevara, Fred Haefele, S.E. Hinton, Dennis Hopper, Richard La Plante, Erika Lopez, Horace McCoy, Allen Noren, Robert Pirsig, Gary Paulsen, Melissa Holbrook Pierson, Patrick Symmes, Keith Tye, Hunter S. Thompson, Lois Wilson, Daniel R. Wolf and Tom Wolfe, as well as photographs by Bruce Davidson, Martin Dixon, Ann Ferrar, Danny Lyon, Helge Pedersen, and Irving Penn.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1560253177
• ISBN13: 9781560253174
• Release Date: January 2002
• Publisher: Da Capo Press
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.96 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

A Woman Motorcyclist Writes:

**** - I enjoyed the stories of the clubs, world travelers and riders. Each story has its own flavor lent by the people, time and place which made it alot of fun to "ride along". Only one detraction- Rachel Kushners story seemed but a vehicle to express anger towards her old boyfriend. Her obvious intent made it difficult to read as she took every opportunity to poke at him- not too much there about riding, ostensibly the purpose of the book. I have ridden Baja for over 10 years, and there is a lot there she failed to mention. I'd like to see Geno line up some more writers to share their thoughts and adventures, with a touch more editorial control next time. I'd buy the next one!!!

Good Anthology

As a new rider I was looking for a book on the experience of riding, riders, destinations, etc. This book worked perfectly. It is a very good anthology of stories and, mostly, excerpts of other books. As in all anthologies, the entries vary in length and quality. Aside from just a few of the chapters, I enjoyed this collection very much. I do think that the editor should have given some information on the writers and on the original works from which the pieces are taken. I would have liked information on whether the original articles appeared in magazines or books and their dates of publication. I definitely recommend the book to anyone interested in reading about motorcycling.

motorcycles and speed

I want to comment only on one chapter of this book, the next to last. In this chapter, Rachel Kushner describes a race she was in down the Baja and her relationship with men, motorcycles and herself. Read it to believe it. It's amazing: action-packed, thoughtful and thoroughly absorbing. My only question is who is this writer?